Safety attachment for aeroplanes



Get. 27, 1931. J. F. OMALLEY SAFETY ATTACHMENT FOR AEROPLANES Filed Dec. '7, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR 0E UWCC Hazy ATTORN EYS J. F. OMALLEY 1,829,607

SAFETY ATTACHMENT FOR AEROPLANES Ucfi. 27, 1931.

Filed Dec. 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR JZfinFOMa ZZg-y WITNESSES ATTORNEYS I Oct. 27, 1931. J. F. OMALLEY SAFETY ATTACHMENT FOR AEROPLANES Filed Dec. 7, 1929 I? Sheets-Sheet 5 rllllrlrdv IIIIIIII'EFIIIII I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I r I I n I INVENTOR L7b7L7LE OiMwZZ y WITNESSES I ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 27, 1931 PATENT OFFICE JOHN FRANCIS OMALLEY, F FLUSHING, NEW YORK SAFETY ATTACHMENT FOR AEROPLANES Application filed December 7, 1929. Serial No. 412,486.

This invention relates to aircraft, and has particular reference to a safety attachment for heavier-than-air craft which functions to produce a head resistance for various purposes.

Broadly, the invention comprehends a normally inactive means for producing a head resistance for the purpose of correcting the position of the craft in event the same goes into a tailspin or where other dangerous conditions arise while the craft is in flight, wherein an auxiliary head resistance is desired to control the plane for righting the same or efiecting a safe landing.

More specifically, the invention comprehends a safety attachment for aeroplanes which includes one or more pocket forming structures having the mouth end disposed forwardly of the craft and adapted to produce a head resistance when the pocket is opened, together with normally restrained means for opening the pocket, means for locking the same in its normally closed condition and manually controlled means for releasing said locking means and for reclosing the pocket when desired.

The invention further aims to provide an improved safety attachment for aeroplanes or other heavier-than-air craft which is com- 39 paratively simple in its construction and mode of operation, which is inexpensive to produce and install and which is thoroughly reliable and highlyefficient in its purpose.

With the above recited and other objects in view, reference is had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which there is exhibited one example or embodiment of the invention, while the claims define the actual scope of the same.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side view of an aeroplane equipped with a safety attachment constructed in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view F through the aeroplane illustrating the means for controlling the locking and reclosing mechanisms for the pocket structure.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional plan view illustrating the pocket structure in it's open active position.

Figure 4c is a fragmentary enlarged sectional plan view illustrating the pocket structure in its closed locked condition.

Figure 5 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken approximately on the line 55 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken approximately on theline indicated at 66 of Figure 3.

Figure 7 is a blank View of a pocket forming element. I

Figure 8 is a side view of the attaching frame for the pocket forming element.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, A designates the fuselage of an aeroplane, B the wing, and C and D the front and rear seats.

The attachment constituting the present invention broadly comprehends one or more pocket forming structures designated generally by the character E which are supported from the craft in any suitable manner with a mouth for each pocket disposed forwardly of the craft and adapted to produce a head resistance and of suificient strength to sustain the pressure of weight. In carrying the invention into practice, a pair of pocket structures E is preferably employed and will usually be supported and disposed-on opposite sides of the fuselage A, although it is to be distinctly understood that the same may be attached to any part of the machine where it is possible to obtain the desired result.

As illustrated the pocket forming structures each include a substantially square or rectangular pyramid or frustum of a square or rectangular pyramid which is closed at its reduced end and open at its larger end and in which two of the opposite walls are flexible so as to permit the pocket structure to fold to a closed position and expand to an open position. For the purposes of illustration, the pocket forming element, as shown in Figure 7, is constructed from a blank sheet of flexible material, such as canvas, which includes a bottomwall forming portion 10. an inner side wall forming portion 11, a top wall forming portion 12 and an outer side wall forming portion 13, each of which portions is of substantially trapezoidal formation, that is; of gradually increasing width from what will be termed the rear reduced edge to the forward larger edge, said portions being joined together in contiguous relation so that when folded they form a frustum of a square or rectangular pyramid which is suitably closed at the rear reduced end by the end wall which may form an extension or flap 14 of one of the portions. The pocket forming structures are suitably mountedon the craft, as illustrated, on the opposite sides of the fuselage A.- The inner side wall forming portion 11 is clamped to the side of the fuselage by means of an attaching frame 15 which approximately corresponds to the configuration of the portion 11. The outer side wall defining portion 13 is suitably attached to a rigid panel 16, which panel conforms substantially to the size and configuration of the portion 13 andwhich panel is supported for lateral swinging movement at its rear end by the arm 17 of a lever 18 which is fulcrumed at 19 to the fuselage adjacent the aft portion of the craft. Obviously, the forward mouth end F of the pocket forming structure E is disposed forwardly of the craft, while the flexible top and bottom wall forming portions 12 and 10 permit of the swinging of the pocket structure from a closed collapsed inactive condition to an opened extended active condition coincident with the movement of the panel 16. As illustrated, the free. lower edge 20 of the portion 13 is provided with longitudinally spaced straps 21 which are designed to be trained through corresponding slits 22 formed in the bottom wall defining portion 10- adjacent' its free side edge, after which the straps 21 are designed to be trained through slots 23 formed in the panel 16 adjacent its lower edge, whereby the straps form the dual function of securing the portions 10 and 13 together and attaching the element to the panel 16. The portion 10 at its opposite side edge adjacent its juncture with the inner side wall forming portion 11 is formed with a corresponding arrangement of longitudinally spaced straps 24 which are trained through slots 25 formed in the panel 16 adjacent its upper edge and serve to fur-' ther secure the pocket structure to the panel 16. The forward edge of the outer side wall forming portion 13 is formed with a medially positioned attaching strap 26 which is trained through a slot 27 formed in the panel 16 adjacent its forward edge. The foregoing is merely illustrative of one way in which the pocket structure may be formed, and it is obvious that other equivalent structures may be employed which provide pocket structures extending longitudinally or fore and aft of the craft with a closed rear end and a forwardly disposed mouth which when opened produce an effective head'resistance of sufficient strength to sustain the pressure developed by the thrust of the craft through it to its propelling mechanism or to the E ture, arcuate guide bars 30 are secured to the fuselage and extend outwardly therefrom with their outer free ends supported from the wing by vertical attaching elements 31, the panels 16 being provided with correspondingly formed guide slots 32 through which the guide bars 30 extend, the outer .upturned ends 33 of the guide bars functioning as a stop for limiting the opening movement of the pockets. The guide bars coact with the upper forward corners of the pocket structure, while brace bars 34 cooperate with the lower forward corners, being fulcrumed at 35 thereto and formed with slotted opposite ends 36 to receivethe headed stud 37 depending from the bottom of the fuselage, the

outer ends of the slots serving as limiting stops for the opening movement of the pocket.

In their closed collapsed inactive position, the mouths F of the pockets E are disposed behind vertical deflector ribs 38 on the sides of the fuselage, so that pressure due to the forward motion of the craft is prevented from entering the mouths of the pockets.

the seats, so that the keepers may be swung to a released position by the occupant .of either seat when the occasion arises. In order to insure the positive opening of the pockets when required, each lever 18 is formed with an inwardly projecting arm43which extends through a slot-44 in the fuselage and which armis slotted at its inner end at 45 to receive a stud 46 on a longitudinall sliding block 47 which is attached to a s aft 48, which shaft is mounted for longitudinal sliding movement in bearings 49 and 50 within the fuselage. A coiled expansion spring 51 -sur' v rounds the shaft 48 and is interposed between the block 47 and the rear bearing 50. Obviously, under 'this construction, the release of the keepers 39 permits the spring 51 to function to swing the levers 18 in a direction to effect an initial opening movement of the pockets, which will obviously dispose the opened mouths sufficiently beyond the deflector ribs 38 to permit the air pressure to fill and complete the opening of the pockets.

In order to provide means for. restoring the pockets to their normal closed condition,

the slide block 47 is connected by a link 52 with a manipulating lever 53 which may be operated to move the block 47 rearwardly for effecting the closing movement of the pockets, after which the handles 41 or 42 may be manipulated to swing the keepers to their active engaged position.

From the foregoing, it will thus be seen that a safety attachment for aeroplanes or the like has been devised by virtue of which a head resistance may be produced when desired for the various purposes previously enumerated, as well as a means for bringing the craft to a stop after it. has landed or for otherwise slowing up the forward motion of the craft.

What is claimed is:

1. A safety attachment for aeroplanes including a pocket forming structure having its mouth disposed forwardly of the aeroplane and adapted to produce a supplmental head resistance when the pocket is opened, said pocket forming structure being substantially the frustum of a rectangular pyramid with its closed reduced rear end disposed rearwardly of the plane, normally restrained means for opening the pocket, means for locking the same in a normally closed condition and manually controlled means for releasing said locking means.

2. A safety attachment for aeroplanes including a pocket forming structure having its mouth disposed forwardly of the aeroplane and adapted to produce a supplemental head resistance when the pocket is 0 ened, said pocket forming structure being su stantially the frustum of a rectangular pyramid with its closed reduced rear end disposed rearwardly of the plane, normally restrained means for opening the pocket, means for locking the same in a normally closed condition and manually controlled means for re leasing said locking means, said releasing means including manipulating elements disposed at spaced points within the plane to afford a dual control therefor. I

3. A safety attachment for aeroplanes including a pocket forming structure approximating the shape of a frustum of a rectangular pyramid having its large mouth end disposed forwardly of the aeroplane and adapted to produce a supplemental head resistance when the pocket is opened, means for bracing and guiding the movement of the pocket structure, normally restrained means for opening the pocket structure, means for locking said pocket structure in a normally .closed condition, means for manually controlling the release of said locking means and manually operable means for reclosing the pocket:

. JOHN FRANCIS OMALLEY. 

